Erzurum conference examines transition from Sultanate to Republic

A conference titled “From Sultanate to Republic: Events and People” was held at the Hüseyin Turgut Education Center in Erzurum. Organized by the Erzurum Development Foundation (ERVAK) and the Ministry of Justice's Hüseyin Turgut Education Center, the event featured Prof. Dr. Selami Kılıç from Atatürk University.

Prof. Dr. Kılıç detailed the nine-stage historical process leading to the establishment of the Republic. Key milestones discussed included the Amasya Circular, the Erzurum and Sivas Congresses, the Misak-ı Millî, the opening of the first Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and the 1921 Teşkilat-ı Esasiye Law.

The presentation also covered the abolition of the Sultanate on November 1, 1922, the subsequent election of Abdülmecit Efendi as Caliph, and the founding of the People's Party on September 9, 1923. Kılıç emphasized that the abolition of the Caliphate on March 3, 1924, served as a critical turning point in Turkey's secularization process.